diff --git a/src/components/views/audio_messages/AudioPlayer.tsx b/src/components/views/audio_messages/AudioPlayer.tsx
index 748b1c9ffc..fb9270765e 100644
--- a/src/components/views/audio_messages/AudioPlayer.tsx
+++ b/src/components/views/audio_messages/AudioPlayer.tsx
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ interface IProps {
 
 interface IState {
     playbackPhase: PlaybackState;
+    error?: boolean;
 }
 
 @replaceableComponent("views.audio_messages.AudioPlayer")
@@ -55,8 +56,10 @@ export default class AudioPlayer extends React.PureComponent<IProps, IState> {
 
         // Don't wait for the promise to complete - it will emit a progress update when it
         // is done, and it's not meant to take long anyhow.
-        // noinspection JSIgnoredPromiseFromCall
-        this.props.playback.prepare();
+        this.props.playback.prepare().catch(e => {
+            console.error("Error processing audio file:", e);
+            this.setState({ error: true });
+        });
     }
 
     private onPlaybackUpdate = (ev: PlaybackState) => {
@@ -91,34 +94,37 @@ export default class AudioPlayer extends React.PureComponent<IProps, IState> {
     public render(): ReactNode {
         // tabIndex=0 to ensure that the whole component becomes a tab stop, where we handle keyboard
         // events for accessibility
-        return <div className='mx_MediaBody mx_AudioPlayer_container' tabIndex={0} onKeyDown={this.onKeyDown}>
-            <div className='mx_AudioPlayer_primaryContainer'>
-                <PlayPauseButton
-                    playback={this.props.playback}
-                    playbackPhase={this.state.playbackPhase}
-                    tabIndex={-1} // prevent tabbing into the button
-                    ref={this.playPauseRef}
-                />
-                <div className='mx_AudioPlayer_mediaInfo'>
-                    <span className='mx_AudioPlayer_mediaName'>
-                        { this.props.mediaName || _t("Unnamed audio") }
-                    </span>
-                    <div className='mx_AudioPlayer_byline'>
-                        <DurationClock playback={this.props.playback} />
-                        &nbsp; { /* easiest way to introduce a gap between the components */ }
-                        { this.renderFileSize() }
+        return <>
+            <div className='mx_MediaBody mx_AudioPlayer_container' tabIndex={0} onKeyDown={this.onKeyDown}>
+                <div className='mx_AudioPlayer_primaryContainer'>
+                    <PlayPauseButton
+                        playback={this.props.playback}
+                        playbackPhase={this.state.playbackPhase}
+                        tabIndex={-1} // prevent tabbing into the button
+                        ref={this.playPauseRef}
+                    />
+                    <div className='mx_AudioPlayer_mediaInfo'>
+                        <span className='mx_AudioPlayer_mediaName'>
+                            { this.props.mediaName || _t("Unnamed audio") }
+                        </span>
+                        <div className='mx_AudioPlayer_byline'>
+                            <DurationClock playback={this.props.playback} />
+                            &nbsp; { /* easiest way to introduce a gap between the components */ }
+                            { this.renderFileSize() }
+                        </div>
                     </div>
                 </div>
+                <div className='mx_AudioPlayer_seek'>
+                    <SeekBar
+                        playback={this.props.playback}
+                        tabIndex={-1} // prevent tabbing into the bar
+                        playbackPhase={this.state.playbackPhase}
+                        ref={this.seekRef}
+                    />
+                    <PlaybackClock playback={this.props.playback} defaultDisplaySeconds={0} />
+                </div>
             </div>
-            <div className='mx_AudioPlayer_seek'>
-                <SeekBar
-                    playback={this.props.playback}
-                    tabIndex={-1} // prevent tabbing into the bar
-                    playbackPhase={this.state.playbackPhase}
-                    ref={this.seekRef}
-                />
-                <PlaybackClock playback={this.props.playback} defaultDisplaySeconds={0} />
-            </div>
-        </div>;
+            { this.state.error && <div className="text-warning">{ _t("Error downloading audio") }</div> }
+        </>;
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/components/views/audio_messages/RecordingPlayback.tsx b/src/components/views/audio_messages/RecordingPlayback.tsx
index 7d9312f369..ca0ed83d84 100644
--- a/src/components/views/audio_messages/RecordingPlayback.tsx
+++ b/src/components/views/audio_messages/RecordingPlayback.tsx
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import PlaybackClock from "./PlaybackClock";
 import { replaceableComponent } from "../../../utils/replaceableComponent";
 import { TileShape } from "../rooms/EventTile";
 import PlaybackWaveform from "./PlaybackWaveform";
+import { _t } from "../../../languageHandler";
 
 interface IProps {
     // Playback instance to render. Cannot change during component lifecycle: create
@@ -33,6 +34,7 @@ interface IProps {
 
 interface IState {
     playbackPhase: PlaybackState;
+    error?: boolean;
 }
 
 @replaceableComponent("views.audio_messages.RecordingPlayback")
@@ -49,8 +51,10 @@ export default class RecordingPlayback extends React.PureComponent<IProps, IStat
 
         // Don't wait for the promise to complete - it will emit a progress update when it
         // is done, and it's not meant to take long anyhow.
-        // noinspection JSIgnoredPromiseFromCall
-        this.props.playback.prepare();
+        this.props.playback.prepare().catch(e => {
+            console.error("Error processing audio file:", e);
+            this.setState({ error: true });
+        });
     }
 
     private get isWaveformable(): boolean {
@@ -65,10 +69,13 @@ export default class RecordingPlayback extends React.PureComponent<IProps, IStat
 
     public render(): ReactNode {
         const shapeClass = !this.isWaveformable ? 'mx_VoiceMessagePrimaryContainer_noWaveform' : '';
-        return <div className={'mx_MediaBody mx_VoiceMessagePrimaryContainer ' + shapeClass}>
-            <PlayPauseButton playback={this.props.playback} playbackPhase={this.state.playbackPhase} />
-            <PlaybackClock playback={this.props.playback} />
-            { this.isWaveformable && <PlaybackWaveform playback={this.props.playback} /> }
-        </div>;
+        return <>
+            <div className={'mx_MediaBody mx_VoiceMessagePrimaryContainer ' + shapeClass}>
+                <PlayPauseButton playback={this.props.playback} playbackPhase={this.state.playbackPhase} />
+                <PlaybackClock playback={this.props.playback} />
+                { this.isWaveformable && <PlaybackWaveform playback={this.props.playback} /> }
+            </div>
+            { this.state.error && <div className="text-warning">{ _t("Error downloading audio") }</div> }
+        </>;
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/i18n/strings/en_EN.json b/src/i18n/strings/en_EN.json
index 1116e4cdc1..90b9767f7b 100644
--- a/src/i18n/strings/en_EN.json
+++ b/src/i18n/strings/en_EN.json
@@ -2601,6 +2601,7 @@
     "Use email to optionally be discoverable by existing contacts.": "Use email to optionally be discoverable by existing contacts.",
     "Sign in with SSO": "Sign in with SSO",
     "Unnamed audio": "Unnamed audio",
+    "Error downloading audio": "Error downloading audio",
     "Pause": "Pause",
     "Play": "Play",
     "Couldn't load page": "Couldn't load page",
diff --git a/src/voice/Playback.ts b/src/voice/Playback.ts
index df0bf593fa..cb198e4ff7 100644
--- a/src/voice/Playback.ts
+++ b/src/voice/Playback.ts
@@ -135,18 +135,23 @@ export class Playback extends EventEmitter implements IDestroyable {
         // Safari compat: promise API not supported on this function
         this.audioBuf = await new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
             this.context.decodeAudioData(this.buf, b => resolve(b), async e => {
-                // This error handler is largely for Safari as well, which doesn't support Opus/Ogg
-                // very well.
-                console.error("Error decoding recording: ", e);
-                console.warn("Trying to re-encode to WAV instead...");
+                try {
+                    // This error handler is largely for Safari as well, which doesn't support Opus/Ogg
+                    // very well.
+                    console.error("Error decoding recording: ", e);
+                    console.warn("Trying to re-encode to WAV instead...");
 
-                const wav = await decodeOgg(this.buf);
+                    const wav = await decodeOgg(this.buf);
 
-                // noinspection ES6MissingAwait - not needed when using callbacks
-                this.context.decodeAudioData(wav, b => resolve(b), e => {
-                    console.error("Still failed to decode recording: ", e);
+                    // noinspection ES6MissingAwait - not needed when using callbacks
+                    this.context.decodeAudioData(wav, b => resolve(b), e => {
+                        console.error("Still failed to decode recording: ", e);
+                        reject(e);
+                    });
+                } catch (e) {
+                    console.error("Caught decoding error:", e);
                     reject(e);
-                });
+                }
             });
         });